1) Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates to water guns and more particularly to a water gun that is capable of placing water under pressure and dispensing of the water of a high velocity a substantial distance into the ambient.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Water guns have long been known. The prior art water guns usually include a hollow housing fashioned in the shape of a rifle or pistol. The housing is designed to hold a quantity of water. A trigger on the housing is typically connected to a pump built into the housing. Movement of the trigger causes a small amount of water to be forced outwardly through a nozzle that is mounted on the housing. However, water guns which utilize a pump type trigger suffer from a drawback in that the power available to expel the water is necessarily less than that which can be supplied by the trigger finger of the user and thus the shooting range and volume of water expelled are quite limited.
To increase the pressure and volume of water released, it has been proposed that an external energy source could be used, such as a battery or cylinder of compressed gas. Obviously, this would add to the complexity and cost to the water gun and make it less convenient to use and possibly make it unsafe.
A more practical method of increasing volume and range of a water gun has been successfully marketed in which the user can store energy by using a manually operated pump to compress air within a chamber in the water gun. The compressed air can then force a copious quantity of water out the nozzle when a valve is opened by a trigger. One disadvantage of this system is that it is relatively complex, having to deal with compressed air and water. Also, the active compressing of the air requires a large pump which makes the toy bulky and adds to the cost. Also, in order to build up sufficient pressure, it takes many strokes of the pump which diminishes the fun of the toy. Further, continued pumping could lead to an unsafe external pressure.
Another way to store energy that has been proposed is to use an elastic bladder, such as a length of latex rubber tubing, to store pressurized water. This eliminates the need to pressurize air which is used in the propelling medium. However, there is a problem with pressurized water being supplied to a latex bladder in that if the bladder is subjected to excessive pressure, it will rupture. This problem of excessive pressure has been addressed in the prior art by adding a pressure relief valve. Also, the prior art relies on an external pressurized water source, such as household tap water, to fill the elastic bladder, which is inconvenient.